Morning journal and courier., 1887-12-20
THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY.

@ ! of the Small Saloon Keepers of New
 Haven WIII Have So Go out of the
 Rustness-They Cannot Pay the
 Amount of a New License Which
 Now Costs $3OO-Talk About Town.
 The new liquor license law goes into effect January 1, and it is thought probable by many knowing ones that it will have the ef- feet of greatly reducing the number of saloons in New Haven.
 The man who wishes to retail spirituous liquors during the year 1888 will have to pay $500 for his license. Many of the small re- tailers cannot afford to do this, as their sales are not enough to bring living profit.
 The view taken of the situation by the large dealers in liquors was thus expressed to COURIER reporter yesterday afternoon by prominent saloonist
 have the much desired effect of killing off | and closing up many of the small saloons | where only the very poorest kind of liquors | are put over the bar. am of the opinion | that at least seventy-fYe of the four hundred | and seventy-hYe or moro saloon keepers Tn l town will go out of business by January 1; | that is, they will not be able to take out new license. There are in existence now nu- I merous grog shops scattered over the city ! where the vilest kind of stuff is sold for I- l
 
 court obtains majority of it's victims. These fellows make the greater portion of their h- quors without paying for rectifying license and what little they do buy from the wholesaler is grossly adulterated." "What about the effect on the wholesale dealers!" ''The wholesalers will not grumble, and some of them will be only too glad if the licenses were $500 in place of $500. You see the wholesalers have to carry these small saloonists. They buy the fixtures and get a license for them, and oftentimes get left on their man, who is either dishonest or is not able to pay their bills. I know of several cases in this city where men have been set up { in the business by the wholesale liquor deal e1s, who not only trusted them for everything | in the line of liquors but paid the store rent. In conversation with wholesale dealer re- gently he told me that he was exceedingly glad that the licenses would cost more here after. For, said he, if man gets license ! now and can afford to pay $500 for it, why | he will pay his bills He has something at stake and he knows if he don't pay he will leave himself liable to call from the sheriff" "The wholesale dealers have about come \ to the conclusion that in future it takes money to buy whiskey. They find that in the end they seldom make anything from the | small shops"
 Several other prominent saloon keepers ex- | pressed similar views to that given above. The following was elicited by querying one | of the county commissioners: "I am of the belief young man, that New Haven will lose ! some of her saloons. The number of saloon | keepers who will not take out 8 license Jan uary 1 owing to the increased rate will prob l ably be fifty more. For the past five years ! the 'grog' shops have been grooming under | the weight of the increased rate of licenses. ! It was but few years ago when licenses were only s1oO. The saloons made money then and they sprang up all over the city. But the legislature l increased it $25 first and $25 again, making it $150. They sent up howl again, but 1 it was not needed, for two years ago it was increased to $200 and last year to $250. They l will have to pay $500 for the ensuing year. l The increased rate of course prevents many | men from going into business unless they have some means I think that about twen- l ty-fve of the saloonists dropped out two years ago and as many more last year. As l the rate goes up the number increases of course. Three hundred dollars was the high
 water mark with dezens of the small saloon men. Last year they could barely raise the $250 and make living, but now they will ! have to engage in some other business. They
 can't afford to pay $500 for license. The respectable saloon keepers are satisfied to pay
 the amount asked. They know that it will
 benefit their business when the small shops
 are closed up, where only the poorest kind of liquor is sold."
 f:These small dealers cannot take out a \
 liquor, and even though they could they
 couldn't make it pay. There were about ff-
 teen beer licenses issued for 1887. Those
 who take only beer licenses principally
 the bottlers and brewers. The beer licenses
 have been increased $50 also."
 ! 'FI have studied the matter up and find that ] on the whole there will be less of violation of l the law on $500 license. Of course some oi
 the small dealers who cannot afford to pay
 the necessary amount will try to do an ille | gitimate business. The result will be that 1 they will find themselves before the courts l and be driven out of business. The respect able saloon keepers will aid the authorities il
 enforcing the law, for it will be to their in , terests. am of the opinion that but little ! illegitimate business will be done under the I incIeased regime"
 } tsWil the treasury suffer2' 'sNo, don' think it will. In place of a decrease iH tht amount obtained from licenses I think there will be an increase. In 1885 the amount re ceived from liquor licenses was $5S, 590 fol | the town of New Haven and the total amount
 received from all licenses was $60,096 IT | 1886 there were 439 licenses issued to hquol dealers and the amount received from then
 was $S2, ,990, an increase of $24 400 over 1885 If only 400 liquor licenses are issued in the
 town of New Haven for 1888, why the receipt!
 will be $120,900."
 The increase went into effect in all ths | towns of the State except New Haven anc
 Bridgeport on October 31st. The reason that l it did not go into effect in the latter named 1 towns was because the town meetings were | not held until December. The commissioner ! stated that he had heard from Hartford l county and that the new law had had 8 very ! healthy effect there The result was as an l ticipated, that the small saloon keepers
 have to go out of the business. He was also
 of the opinion that there was healthy sen ! timent in favor of the increase. The liberal
 minded people will appreciate it.
 Several smaller saloon keepers were visited l and they expressed themselves very much il l opposition to the new law, might be ex ! pected. They were all of the same opinion ! that many of them would have to go out 0 I the business.
 ''There is no class of people run down g. | much as we are ''said one of them. "Everyon
 seems to think we take advantage of every
 one who has dealings with us. During tn l past few years the times have changed g. that if we wanted to do it we could not affor it. Competition has grown so in our bushes
 in this city that in the tenement district 1 there are on the average nearly two saloon ! to every block. and we are literally cuttin; | each others threats. There never was tim
 when we were forced to give so much credi | to retain any trade at all. The men whom W 0 fear to trust are the young unmarried fel 6 | lows, no matter how well they are fixed" r He said that in his opinion fully seventy
 five of the small saloon keepers could not af ford to pay for new license. He though | that the law would be violated more thai 0 ever and that there would be large quantitie l of liquors sold illegitimately.
 One saloon keeper who runs both retail ana l wholesale stores had this to say: "The mel
 who sell the most liquor in this city are tn,
 grocers, and they pay no license at all. know this to be fact, as I have supplied
 many of them from my wholesale store. A l | respectable grocer of course won't do this f l but the public would be surprised if they
 knew the number who do this kind of busi |, ness. don't believe that over thirty of the saloon keepers will give up business. The l result of this high license is that there will be great amount of illegitimate selling This stands to reason on the face
 of these facts: A man receives much less penalty for selling
 without license than he does if he is caught , violating the license law. For the third off, , fense for selling without license one would
 get only $40 and costs And small saloonists
 who do not have to pay for license will take
 their chances serve their friends and make
 money. It is the Sunday trade that enables ! AIoo roa1I 4T, If